“She's a great player,” Ostapenko said of Halep. “If I play my best and I stay aggressive tomorrow and I am consistent, I think everything can happen. I have nothing to lose. I think Simona will be the favorite because she's higher ranked.”

Ostapenko, who started the Asian swing winning Seoul, is playing for her third career title.

“I'm already in semifinal, third week in a row playing pretty good here in Asia,” Ostapenko said. “I'm just going to go out there and try to show my best.”

The two-time Wimbledon champion advanced to her first semifinal since she won Birmingham in June in just her second tournament back after undergoing a four-hour surgery on her left hand in December following a stabbing attack in a horrific home invasion.

The 12th-seeded Kvitova will play Wuhan champion Caroline Garcia for a place in the final.

The Frenchwoman drilled a pair of successive aces in the tie break and belted a backhand down the line to save the match point for 6-all. Firing her 60th winner of the match, a forehand down the line, Garcia posted her ninth consecutive victory.

Kvitova has won three of five meetings with Garcia, including a 6-0, 6-4, sweep at the US Open last month.